ai4bharat/Pralekha huggingface dataset:
Ministry of Commerce & Industry
9th Session of India Russia Working Group on Modernization & Industrial Cooperation of the India-Russia Intergovernmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technological and Cultural Cooperation held
The 9thSession of the India Russia Working Group on Modernization & Industrial Cooperation of the India-Russia Intergovernmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technological and Cultural Cooperation was held on December 23, 2022 in New Delhi. Shri Anurag Jain, Secretary, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, Ministry of Commerce and Industry co-chaired the Indian side; while H. E. Mr Alexey Gruzdev, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation, co-chaired the Russian side.
The working group meeting was held as a part of series of meetings between the two countries under the India Russia Inter governmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technological Cooperation mechanism.
The Working Group reviewed the results of the eighth session of the working group in the focus sub-groups identified, namely modernization, mining and mineral fertilizers & chemicals.
The two sides highlighted the excellent bilateral relations between the two countries and reiterated their commitment to deepen and strengthen mutual cooperation in several areas. This visit was an opportunity to consolidate the partnership between India and Russia.
Prime Minister's Office
PM expresses happiness over renovation of Shree Saptakoteshwar Devasthan
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has expressed happiness over renovation of Shree Saptakoteshwar Devasthan, Narve, Bicholim in Goa.
In reply to a tweet by Goa Chief Minister Dr. Pramod Sawant, the Prime Minister tweeted :
"The renovated Shree Saptakoteshwar Devasthan, Narve, Bicholim will deepen the connect of our youth with our spiritual traditions. It will also further boost tourism in Goa."
Ministry of Railways
Repair of old Tracks and Bridges
Track: Railway tracks are replaced through track renewal works which is an ongoing process. Track renewal works are undertaken as and when a stretch of track becomes due for renewal on the basis of criteria laid down in Indian Railway Permanent Way Manual on age/condition basis viz. traffic carried in terms of gross million tonnes, incidence of rail fracture/failure, wear of rails, corrosion of rails, maintainability of track as per standards etc. On Meter Gauge  and Narrow Gauge  tracks, which are sanctioned for Gauge conversion, the track renewal works, if required, are undertaken after due consideration of progress of execution of gauge conversion.
Details of track renewals are maintained Zone-wise and not State-wise. The State of Bihar falls in Eastern Railway, East Central Railway, North Eastern Railway and Northeast Frontier Railway. During the last five years , total 17985 km track has been renewed on Indian Railways, out of which 3260 km was carried out in the above four  Zonal Railways covering State of Bihar. A target for track renewal of 3200 km has been kept for the year 2020-21 for Indian Railways, out of which 493 km track is targeted for renewal in the above four Zonal Railways covering the State of Bihar.
Track renewal works are sanctioned every year on the basis of traffic carried, condition etc and their execution is prioritized according to condition of track and overall availability of funds. Normally, track renewal works are completed in two to three years of sanction.
Bridges: Safety of bridges is accorded high priority on Indian Railways. There is a well established system of inspection of bridges on Indian Railways. All the bridges are inspected by twice a year, once before the onset of monsoon and once after the monsoon designated officials. After inspection, every bridge is assigned an Overall Rating Number  and based on the ORN of bridge, rebuilding/strengthening is undertaken. In addition, certain bridges are also inspected more frequently depending upon their condition.
Repair/strengthening/rehabilitation/rebuilding of railway bridges is a continuous process and is undertaken whenever so warranted by their physical condition as ascertained during these inspections. During the last five years , a total of 4727 bridges have been repaired/strengthened/rehabilitated/rebuilt on Indian Railways.
The information on bridges is maintained Zone-wise and not State-wise. Bihar State is covered under Eastern Railway, East Central Railway, North Eastern Railway, and Northeast Frontier Railway. There is no bridge in dilapidated condition in all the concerned zones covering Bihar State. However, as on 01.04.2020, a total of 1786 bridges in the above four  Zonal Railways have been sanctioned for repair/strengthening/rehabilitation etc.
This information was given by the Minister of Railways and Commerce & Industry, Shri Piyush Goyal in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha today.
The Vice President, Shri M Venkaiah Naidu today called for providing equal property rights to women and highlighted the importance of fully empowering them for the country to make progress.
Participating in the 20th anniversary celebrations of Swarna Bharat Trust at Venkatachalam, Nellore, he pointed out that women constituted nearly 50 per cent of the country’s population and said they should be encouraged to participate in various fields on par with men.
Deploring atrocities against women, Shri Naidu reiterated the need to provide reservations to women in Parliament, apart from imparting skills in various vocations.
Expressing his satisfaction that the Swarna Bharat Trust over the last 20 years has been fulfilling his dream to empower the needy and marginalized sections, particularly in the rural areas, Shri Naidu said that thousands of young rural men and women have been trained in various vocations with many of them becoming successful entrepreneurs. “Most importantly, farmers, women and youth constitute the focus of this Trust. Such service to people is the highest form of devotion”, he added.
Shri Naidu said that he always believed that the poor and marginalized sections need to be empowered through education and vocational skills.
Pointing out that the Trust had never taken any kind of help from the government, he termed it as “no mean achievement” and complimented the Managing Trustee, Smt. Deepa Venkat, trustees and all those who enabled the Trust to meet its objectives.
Underlining the important role of agriculture in the country’s economic progress, he called upon all stakeholders to bestow greater attention on agriculture. Similarly, India’s demographic dividend should be fully realized by skilling and empowering the youth.
Referring to the urban-rural divide, the Vice President called for bridging it with increasing urgency and said that it would also check migration to cities and urban centres from our villages.
The Vice President lauded the Union Government for setting a new tradition in the selection of Padma awardees and conveyed his appreciation to Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister, Shri Amit Shah, who was present on the occasion.
Responding to the remarks made by Shri Amit Shah on the passage of the bill relating to abrogation of Article 370 in the Rajya Sabha under the Chairmanship of Shri Naidu, the Vice President said it was a historic moment in his life as he had always espoused the cause of total integration of Jammu and Kashmir with the rest of India.
He said that people all over the country rejoiced after the bill was passed following a detailed discussion.
Referring to COVID-19 pandemic, the Vice President appealed to the people to shed vaccine hesitancy and get themselves vaccinated.
Union Home Minister, Shri Amit Shah, President of Swarna Bharat Trust, Shri Kamineni Srinivas, Trustee of Swarna Bharat Trust, Smt. Deepa Venkat Immani, Shri Muppavarapu harshvardhan, trustees, staff and trainees of the trust were among those present on the occasion.
Ministry of Home Affairs
Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah expressed his condolences on the demise of former National President of Janata Dal United Shri Sharad Yadav
Shri Sharad Yadav's demise is an irreparable loss to the public life of the country
Shri Sharad Yadav, vociferously fought against the Emergency in the country, raised the issues of the poor and backward and worked for their welfare for many decades of his public life
Shri Sharad Yadav has left a permanent mark across the country by making consistent efforts to live life in accordance to his hard working nature and principles
In this hour of grief, I express my condolences to his family and supporters, May God give place to the departed soul at his holy feet
Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah has expressed his condolences on the demise of former National President of Janata Dal United Shri Sharad Yadav. Shri Amit Shah visited Sharad Yadav's residence to pay his last respects to the late leader and expressed condolences to his family members in New Delhi today.
The Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation said that the death of Shri Sharad Yadav is an irreparable loss to the public life of the country. In his decades-long public life, Shri Sharad Yadav, vociferously fought against the Emergency in the country, raised the issues of the poor and backward and worked for their welfare for many decades of his public life. In his 5 decades long public life, Shri Sharad kept on taking forward the socialist basic principles till his last breath.
Shri Amit Shah said that Shri Sharad Yadav made valuable contribution in Bihar and Indian politics for decades. Born in Madhya Pradesh, Shri Sharad Yadav has left a permanent mark across the country by making consistent efforts to live life according to his hard work and principles. Shri Shah added that “In this hour of grief, I express my condolences to his family and supporters. May God give the departed soul a place at his holy feet.”
Prime Minister's Office
PM to visit cyclone ‘Ockhi’ affected areas of Lakshadweep, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala tomorrow
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi will visit Lakshadweep, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala tomorrow. He will review the situation arising in the aftermath of cyclone “Ockhi,” and the status of relief operations, at Kavaratti, Kanyakumari, and Thiruvananthapuram. The Prime Minister will meet with officials and public representatives. He will also meet with cyclone victims, including fishermen and farmer delegations.
Parts of Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Lakshadweep were severely affected by Cyclone Ockhi in late November and early December 2017.
The Prime Minister constantly monitored the situation arising out of the cyclone. He spoke to all relevant authorities and officials.
Defence Minister Smt. Nirmala Sitaraman undertook a visit to the cyclone affected areas of both Kanyakumari district in Tamil Nadu and Thiruvananthapuram on 3rd and 4th December. National Crisis Management Committee  chaired by the Cabinet secretary, Shri P K Sinha met on 4th December and reviewed the relief and rescue operations in States and Union Territories affected by the cyclone.
Government agencies both from the Centre and the affected States, including Coast Guard, Air Force, Navy, and NDRF were involved in relief and rescue operations. Relief camps were set up in the affected areas. The Union Government has released the second instalment of State Disaster Relief Fund  to the Government of Kerala and Tamil Nadu in the current financial year of 2017-18 to supplement the efforts of State Government in dealing with the natural calamity. During the financial year 2017-18, amount of central share of SDRF to State Government of Kerala and Tamil Nadu is Rs. 153 crore and Rs. 561 crore respectively.
As the influence of Cyclone Ockhi waned after December 5th, the Prime Minister took to Twitter to compliment central agencies, various state governments, local administrations and alert citizens for showing remarkable preparedness and assisting people during the adverse times.
Earlier, through his tweets from time to time, he informed people of all possible assistance being provided to those affected. He also motivated people to assist fellow citizens in cyclone relief.
Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions
Newly appointed Union Secretary DoPT, Deepak Khandekar calls on Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh.
Dr. Jitendra Singh describes abolition of interview for jobs in 23 States and 8 Union Territories as revolutionary initiative.
Union Minister of State  Development of North Eastern Region , MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr. Jitendra Singh today expressed satisfaction over the fact that following a revolutionary initiative taken by the Department of Personnel & Training , interview for jobs has been abolished in 23 States and 8 Union Territories of India.
Exchanging updates with the newly appointed Union Secretary DoPT, Deepak Khandekar who called on him soon after assuming charge of office today at North Block, Dr. Jitendra Singh said, one of the responsibilities of the DoPT is also to persuade the different State and Union Territory governments to implement the path-breaking reforms initiated by the Union Ministry. He said, the call for abolition of interview was made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Independence Day address from the ramparts of Red Fort on 15th August, 2015 and DoPT promptly completed the entire exercise to issue orders abolishing interview for all Group-B  and Group-C posts in the Central Government from 1st Jan 2016 itself. However, some of the State Governments had initial reservations, but he said, he was glad to note that after continuous reasoning by the DoPT, most of the State and Union Territory governments have seen the logic in this decision and finally decided to implement it.
Even in Jammu & Kashmir, where the government had initially not introduced this rule, now after the taking over of the Lieutenant Governor regime, orders have been issued to make selection to these posts purely on the basis of the merit in the written test, he said.
Dr. Jitendra Singh said, discontinuation of the interview has proved to be in larger public interest and it also seeks to offer a level playing field for candidates coming from lower socio-economic strata. He said, it also eliminates the scope of allegations of nepotism or corruption in appointments to government jobs.
Wishing Dandekar a fruitful tenure as Secretary DoPT, Dr. Jitendra Singh hoped that the process of introducing one path-breaking reform after the other, will continue under the stewardship of the new Secretary. He said, some of such reforms which could never have been imagined till a few years ago, were possible for DoPT to introduce because of the support and personal intervention of Prime Minister Modi.
Referring to some of the other landmark reforms which will change the face of governance in India, Dr Jitendra Singh mentioned the constituting of National Recruitment Agency  to conduct Common Eligibility Test  for appointment to jobs in different Ministries and Departments as well as the national programme for Civil Services Capacity Building called “Mission Karmayogi”. Similarly, Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration  at Mussoorie had introduced Common Foundation Course for Civil Service probationers under the name “Aarambh”, he added.
Prime Minister's Office
PM pays homage to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose on Parakram Diwas
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has paid homage to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose on Parakram Diwas.
In a tweet, the Prime Minister said;
"Today, on Parakram Diwas, I pay homage to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and recall his unparalleled contribution to India’s history. He will be remembered for his fierce resistance to colonial rule. Deeply influenced by his thoughts, we are working to realise his vision for India."
Cabinet
Cabinet approves Second Protocol amending the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement  between India and Singapore
The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given its ex-post facto approval to the Second Protocol amending the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement  between India and Singapore. The CECA was signed on 24th August 2018.
Benefits:
Signing of the Second Protocol will enhance bilateral trade and will deepen the Economic Cooperation between India and Singapore. It will also improve utilization of CECA.
Ministry of Earth Sciences
No Heat Wave Conditions likely over any part of the country during the next five days
According to the National Weather Forecasting Centre of the India Meteorological Department:

Current Temperature Status and Warning for next five days
Yesterday’sMaximumTemperatureScenario:
HeatWave: -NIL.
MaximumTemperature: -Maximum temperatures more than 40°C as on 19.06.2021 were recorded at isolated Places over west Rajasthan.
Yesterday,the highest maximum temperature of 41.3°C was reported at Ganganagar .
Today’s Minimum Temperature Scenario:
Warm Night:-NIL.
Minimum Temperature:-Minimum temperatures are above normal  at isolated places over Odisha,Coastal Andhra Pradesh &Yanam and Andaman& NicobarIslands.
 & graphics forecast)
KindlydownloadMAUSAM APPforlocationspecificforecast&warning, MEGHDOOT APPforAgrometadvisoryand DAMINI APPforLightningWarning&visitstateMC/RMCwebsitesfordistrictwisewarning.
Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs
MOBILE APP SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED FOR STREET VENDORS
Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs  has launched Mobile app of PM SVANidhi for street vendors  on 1st June, 2023. With the help of mobile app, Street Vendor  can apply for loan and Letter of Recommendation  under PM SVANidhi Scheme. The SV can also check their loan application status and cashback history.
As per the decision of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs dated 26.04.2022, the target set under PM SVANidhi Scheme for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd loans is 42 Lakh, 12 Lakh and 3 Lakh respectively by December, 2024.
Prime Minister Street Vendor’s AtmaNirbhar Nidhi  Scheme was launched with the objective of facilitating collateral free working capital loan to street vendors to restart their businesses. As on July 20, 2023 the scheme has successfully disbursed 50.63 lakh loans, amounting to ₹6,492.02 Cr., to 38.53 lakh street vendors.
The PM SVANidhi Scheme has been made available to all street vendors vending in urban areas. Further, the lending under the Scheme has been extended from March, 2022 to December, 2024. This would help in getting more and more vendors under the ambit of the Scheme.
‘SVANidhi se Samriddhi' component under the PM SVANidhi Scheme, launched on 04 January, 2021, to build safety net for the beneficiaries’ families for improving their living conditions.
It links the beneficiaries’ families to existing eight welfare schemes of the Government of India, targeting their holistic development and socio-economic upliftment. These schemes are PM Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana, PM Suraksha Bima Yojana, PM Jan Dhan Yojana, One Nation One Ration Card, PM Shram Yogi Maandhan Yojana, Registration under Building and other Construction Workers , Janani Suraksha Yojana and PM Matru Vandana Yojana.
This information was given by the Minister of State for Housing & Urban Affairs, Shri Kaushal Kishore, in a written reply in the Lok Sabha today.
Ministry of Jal Shakti
Financing Agreements Signed for Digha & Kankarbagh Sewage Projects in Patna, Bihar
Financing agreements for developing STPs and Sewerage network for Digha and Kankarbagh zones of Patna were signed between DK Sewage Project Pvt Ltd  and PFS. The scope of the project includes development of Sewage Treatment Plants of 150 MLD capacity along with sewerage network of over 453 km in the Digha and Kankarbagh zones of Patna, one of the most populous cities on the banks of the river Ganga. This is the first of its kind project which comprises of a mix of Design, Build, Operate and Transfer  scope and Hybrid Annuity Model  scope.
With the implementation of Digha and Kankarbagh sewerage projects all the sewage zones of Patna city will be covered with sewerage network and sewage treatment capacity to achieve the objective of the NamamiGange program of preventing any untreated waste water entering the river Ganga.The capacity of Digha STP will be 100 MLD and Kankarbagh STP will be 50 MLD. PFS has agreed to fund Rs 85.84 Cr for development of STPs in the form of long-term debt. This is the second project financed by PFS under the HAM model of development. An earlier one was the Prayagraj sewerage scheme under the One City- One Operator concept through HAM.
The 453 Kms of sewage network in the project is to be laid in DBOT model wherein 100% of the contractual payment will be made during the construction period. On the contrary, for development of STPs under HAM, 40% of construction cost will be paid during the construction period of 24 months and the balance 60% will be paid as quarterly annuities along with interest and Operation & Maintenance , cost during the 15-year operation period. DKSPPL will be responsible for the entire development and operation of both sewerage network and STPs for 15 years of the concession period. The payment during operations period will be subject to achievement of Key Performance Indicators  in terms of treated waste water quality for the STPs.
Under the NamamiGange programme, in Patna, 11 sewerage schemes for development of sewage treatment capacity of 350 MLD along with laying of 1140.3 km sewerage network has been taken up at a total cost of Rs 3237 Cr. STP projects in Beur  and Karmalichak  are completed and were inaugurated by the Hon’ble Prime Minister in 2020. Another STP project at Saidpur  and adjoining network has been completed recently. STP projects are also sanctioned in adjoining towns of Patna namely Danapur, PhulwariSariff and Fatuha.
The Agreements were signed in the presence of Shri Pankaj Kumar, Secretary, Jal Shakti Ministry, Shri Rajiv Ranjan Mishra, DG, National Mission for Clean Ganga , and Shri Ashok Kumar Singh, ED, NMCG. Other dignitaries who witnessed the event include Shri Pawan Singh, MD, Power Trading Corporation, India Financial Services and Shri Raman Kumar, MD, BUIDCO.
Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways
Preventive steps taken to check Marine Pollution
In a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha today, Shri Mansukh Mandaviya, the Minister of State for Shipping  and Chemical & Fertilizers informed about the various preventive steps taken by the Government of India to check marine pollution.The Minister informed that India is a signatory to MARPOL . In addition, Prevention of Marine Pollution is also dealt with by Merchant Shipping Rules, 2009 framed under the Merchant Shipping Act, 1958.
The Minister informed that periodic surveys of Indian flag vessels are carried out in order to ensure compliance to the above rules. Additionally, Indian vessels are also inspected for compliance to these and other Rules as part of the scheduled Flag States Inspections and un-scheduled Inspections. Foreign vessels are likewise inspected under Port State Inspection regime and heavy penalty is levied in case of non-compliance.
Shri Mandaviya further informed that a steering committee with stakeholders from all the concerned Ministers and Departments has been constituted by the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change to tackle the issues of marine plastic littering vide order No. 17/7/2019-HSMD dated 14th May 2019. The Committee will co-ordinate the activities of all the Ministries/Departments, examine proposals and provide guidance to Ministries, State and UT Governments with regard to research, policy planning, deployment of technology, public outreach and education and other facets of the problem of marine plastic littering.